ITHACA, N.Y. — The Columbia volleyball team rallied all the way back from two sets down to force a fifth set against Cornell on Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena, but the Big Red held on and escaped victorious (18-25, 13-25, 25-19, 25-22, 6-15).
 
Columbia (9-9, 3-5 Ivy) put together strong third and fourth sets, putting down 16 kills in the third and 15 in the fourth to bring the match to a tiebreak. Cornell (10-8, 5-3 Ivy) responded with a .348 attack percentage in the fifth set, breaking it open with a 6-0 run to go up 10-4 and all but put the match to rest.
 
Senior Lauren Wilkins led the Columbia attack with a career-high 16 kills. First-year Emily Teehan was one off with 15 while also tallying a season-high 17 digs for her seventh double-double. Sophomore setter Audrey Cheng assisted 47 of the Lions' 55 kills and recorded 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the campaign. Cheng, first-year Isa Lamus and junior Rose Compton had four blocks apiece. Junior libero Kalie Wood rounded out a trio in double-figure digs by matching Teehan's 17.
 
Cornell's Samanta Arenas led all players with 20 kills and came a dig shy of a double-double. Jada Stackhouse caused problems for Columbia on both sides of the ball by hitting .692 with 10 kills and a match-high six blocks. Setter Zoe Chamness completed a double-double by posting 51 assists and 14 digs. Libero Lily Barber finished up with 17 digs.
 
Cornell ended the match outhitting the Lions .286 to .157. The two sides were even on the block with eight apiece. Columbia came up with six aces, including two apiece for juniors Grace Campbell and Kalie Wood. Wood and Teehan now share the Ivy League lead with 25 aces each on the season.
 
The two sides went toe-to-toe through the first set until Cornell went on a big run late to win it. Three straight Big Red points pushed them ahead 14-11 but the Lions came back to get within one, 19-18, off a block by Cheng and Lamus. However, that was the final point Columbia would score in the frame as Cornell rode Arenas' six kills to take the opener.
 
That momentum rolled into the second where Cornell jumped ahead 8-2 before winning by 12. Arenas put down seven kills and hit .455 while the Big Red outhit the Lions .379 to -.031 to take a two-set lead.
 
Columbia came storming back in the third. This time, it was the Lions who jumped ahead, leading 10-4 after a Teehan kill. Campbell and senior Madeleine Casey had aces during the early going and the Lions led by as many as eight, 16-8, when Wood picked off Arenas for another ace. Cornell only ever got back within five before Lamus got the Lions on the board with her third kill of the set.
 
The fourth set saw eight ties and three lead changes. Trailing 11-8, the Lions went on a 6-1 run that included a pair of kills by Wilkins to go up 14-12. Wilkins finished the set with six kills, while Teehan tagged four and hit .429. Cornell got back in it and tied the score at 20 on a kill by Stackhouse, but the Lions would not be denied a crack at the fifth as back-to-back kills by Campbell and Teehan brought the match the distance.
 
Unfortunately for the Lions, Cornell regrouped and found their rhythm in the final set. The Big Red hit an errorless .348, led by three kills from Avery Hanan, which proved too much for Columbia to handle.
 
The Lions will look to end their three-game losing skid next weekend when they travel to Harvard and Dartmouth. Both games will be available on ESPN+.

WATCH ON ESPN+
After the Ivy League announced its partnership with ESPN, all home and Ivy League volleyball matches are scheduled to be played on the ESPN+ this fall. To sign up for ESPN+ for as low as $4.99/month or $49.99/annually, and catch all the action this season click here.